Curriculum Vitae
Venla Heiskanen
Senior Product Marketing Manager, Finnair
Yoga Teacher
Wilderness Guide
Entrepreneur
Email:
Address:
Vantaa, Finland
Date of Birth:
Jan 1984
Family
Married, two teenagers (15 & 17)
My motto
Don’t be dead while you’re alive
About Me
Want to make a difference? Be bold and wild enough to go after your dreams? Same here!
My biggest strength has always been my ability to adapt and fit into many different worlds. I connect easily with people from all walks of life, which I would say has made me a broad-minded and versatile person. I’m truly passionate about many different areas of life, always excited to learn, grow, and explore new things.
During my Master’s studies in Business Administration, I discovered that I needed ways to express creativity to truly feel inspired in my work —and that’s where marketing became my perfect match. In marketing management, I shine when I’m simplifying complex ideas, working with creative people, finding fresh solutions, creating new creatives or bringing structure to chaos—all while keeping an eye on the details that matter. I’ve also discovered over time that I’m at my best in roles where no two days look the same. Constantly changing, eagerly learning and fast-paced organizations are definately my thing.
Beyond my day-to-day work, teaching yoga and wilderness guide studies have given me opportunities to connect with people in a meaningful way and express my creativity in a totally different context. In the moments shared with my customers I feel like finding deeper meaning for my own life as well — helping others feel grounded, teaching calming breathing techniques, forstering balance and connection to this amazing universe we live in. As well, it has given me many opportunities for my personal growth, when taking the position of the leader and teacher. I feel that we all should learn how to step in our power so, that it benefits the communities around us. This has been my place to do so.
Education
May 2023 - June 2024
July 2018 - March 2019
September 2010 - August 2013
August 2004 - May 2008
September 2003 - March 2007
Wilderness guide (150 ECTS) Internship done in Saariselkä, Star Arctic Hotel.
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) training and certification, Villa Mandala, Finland.
Master of Economic Sciences (KTM), Major in Innovation Management
Chinese Studies at Helsinki School of Economics and Helsinki University of Technology
Bachelor of Business Administration, major in Marketing and Service Productization.
Thesis done in China, Shangahai: ”Possibilities of Finnish Enterprises to Get Inside the Chinese Guanxi”
Work Experience
September 2024 -
April 2020 - May 2023
July 2019 - April 2020
August 2016 - July 2019
January 2016 - August 2016
Senior Product Marketing Manager at Finnair.
Responsible for product and ancillary marketing, focusing on creating and executing impactful marketing campaigns across key markets. My responsibilities include strategic planning, budgeting, performance evaluation, and testing innovative approaches to drive sales & growth.
Especially on the product marketing side, I collaborate closely with our brand team to develop marketing concepts, participate in photoshoots, and deliver sales- and awareness-driven campaigns tailored to diverse markets. This role demands strong collaboration skills, the ability to quickly grasp complex scenarios, and the focus to prioritize initiatives with the greatest impact
Digital Sales & Marketing Manager, Asia at Finnair Responsible for strategic marketing planning, budgeting, campaign creation and digital sales across Finnair’s Asian markets. Ramping up the sales after pandemic and navigating in the challenging business environment in the beginning & during the crisis in Ukraine. Alongside my responsibilities for Finnair's Asian markets, I led some key initiatives, including the launch of the new Finnair Visa credit card. This involved managing campaign planning and contributing to the development of the card's brand identity. I also took lead on customer communications end-to end - renewal process, focusing on email ecosystem redesign and service improvements. Additionally, I managed global campaigns like the Santa brand campaign, achieving strong results together with our team.
Marketing Manager, Content & Community at Finnair Oyj.
By working closely with Finnair Plus loyalty program, I gained amazing understanding how to manage and utilize loyalty programs as a part of successful tool to create value both customers and the company. I was honored to be part of a small group building and designing a new community platform from the scratch. I also developed and created email communication to our F+ customers and took care of the customer life cycle processes for our most valuable customer base. Engagement and creating additional value being the goals of all our actions.
Manager, Global Social Media at Finnair Oyj, When I began in my role, social media was establishing its place among the key marketing platforms, and companies were striving to develop effective processes and strategies to fully harness its potential. During my first year I developed and improved our global social media strategy and content creation processes. This included renewing our ways of capturing the most relevant content initiatives, managing content planning in our key markets, managing budgets, working with local agencies and improving reporting. The role required strong social skills to work with many internal and external partners, as well as the ability to simplify complex & fuzzy environment into a clear, functional & profitable actions. As a result, our global social media performance grew quickly and significantly.
Commercial Online Manager at TeliaSonera Ltd. Responsible for managing and planning our commercial online campaigns, following & reacting digital channel’s daily sales pulse, commercially developing our online store sales funnels and digital self-service channel based on analytics. Leading social media channels’ commercial planning and being responsible for website’s commercial campaigns.
Development Manager at TeliaSonera Ltd. Responsible for Tele Finland brand’s social media, strategy work and development. Using analytical tools on daily basis in decision making. Exploiting Lean Startup – techniques to test ideas before making them big.